Protecting His Witness (Red Stone Security Series) by Katie Reus Page B

attack just wasn’t normal.
    “Wish I had more for you.” The detective sounded sincere.
    Sighing, he scrubbed a hand over his face. “Me, too. Thanks though.You’ve got our contact info and where we’re both staying. Call me day or night if anything pops up.” He hoped what had happened was just a random act of violence and they could move past it, but he still planned to be careful.
    Something had shifted in him tonight and it was all because of Jordan. He still felt so damn shaky he was surprised no one else noticed. His heart rate was higher than normal and his fucking palms were actually sweating. Vincent always kept his cool, but the thought of anything happening to Jordan—especially on his watch—made him fucking crazy.
    While he hated what had happened, it had made his decision about her easy. He wasn’t walking away. He couldn’t live knowing she was off somewhere and not be with her. Nope. Not gonna happen.
    The sexy woman belonged to him. Very soon he was going to remind her why.
    He popped his head back in the room and she immediately stood, wrapping her arms around herself like she did when she was nervous or scared. It pierced him to see her like that and he wanted to hurt the person who had caused it. “Can we go?”
    “Yeah.” He held out his arm and she walked right into his embrace, wrapping her arm around his waist as he led her out.
    The feel of her pressed up against him and the fact that she didn’t hesitate in searching him out for comfort had the ability to bring him to his knees.
    “Did the detective say anything else? Do they have any leads?” There was a thread of hope in her voice.
    Hating to disappoint her, he shook his head as they stepped out into the balmy night air. “Unfortunately, no.” He had plans to look more into the monster who had changed her life, Curtis Woods. Vincent didn’t care that the FBI said Woods and his brother were dead; he wanted to make damn sure that was true. Not to mention he had some potential enemies and he was worried this might be one of them trying to mess with him. “I need to stop by my place and grab an overnight bag and my laptop, but it’s not a long walk.”
    She looked up at him in surprise. “You’re staying with me tonight?”
    He grunted. How could she not realize he was staying with her? “Of course. After what happened, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
    Something he couldn’t read flickered through her hazel eyes as she looked away, keeping her gaze focused in front of them on the sidewalk. “I don’t need you feeling responsible for me. That attack was crazy, but I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for a long time.”
    Responsible? She really had no idea. “Yeah, well, that’s about to change.” He wanted to take care of her any way he could.
    She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and pulled away from him. “Vincent, I can’t do this. I…thought I could, but I can’t. All I really wanted was your forgiveness when I came to see you—okay, that’s a lie, I wanted more—but that’s not the point. I just can’t sleep with you and have it mean nothing. I thought I could, but I can’t. And if you stay the night I know where things are headed between us.” There was such raw agony in her voice, it cut him impossibly deep.
    Vincent swallowed hard, trying to make his throat work. He didn’t want just sex either, but he also knew that telling her that wouldn’t do him much good. Not when only hours ago he’d admitted he was trying to figure things out where they were concerned. Now he knew exactly what he wanted from her. Everything. When that asshole had thrown that firebomb at them, he’d lost a decade of his life and the reality of what he needed—Jordan, in his life, forever—had become crystal clear. He wouldn’t lose her again. But words were useless.
    He would have to show her, not tell her. “I’ll sleep on the couch, but I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
    For a moment